Teresa of Calcutta By: Meliza Gonzalez Justine Meraz Andriana Castellanos

Mother Teresa  Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu was born in Skopje Kosovo on August 26,1910.  Youngest child in the family.  After her fathers death, her mother raised her as a Roman Catholic.  She left home at the age of 18 to join the Sisters of Loreto as a missionary.  She took her vow to be a nun on May 14, 1937 at the age of 27.  Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997 from Malaria and failure on the left heart ventricle.

Achievements.  Mother Teresa joined the Missionaries of Charity. She cared for the hungry, homeless, naked, and all other outcasts of society.  She built the Normala ShishuBnavan, a home for orphans and youths without a home.  She opened Missionaries of Brothers all over the world.  Received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

Her Struggles.  Mother Teresa suffered a heart attack while visiting Pope John Paul II.  She dealt with much criticism. People said she was not focused on donating money and she wasn’t saving the world right.  Her response to them was “no matter who says what, you should accept it with a smile and do your own work.”

Head. “ Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.” Mother Teresa would think of everyone as Jesus, but as him in disguise. It would remind her to always be caring and thoughtful towards others because one of them might be Jesus testing her. Heart. All Mother Teresa longed for was world peace. She said, “if we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” All she wanted was for everyone to love each other and to love Jesus. She dreamed for peace and love.

Hands. Mother Teresa worked towards alleviating the sufferings of the sick and the dying. She founded the first home for the Dying in India, and helped those who were poor and dying all over the world.

Prayer. Prayer was a big thing in Mother Teresa's life. When she prayed, she prayed for everyone to get along and for everyone to love each other. Her prayers would be for everyone. She wanted people to feel what she felt. She wanted them to look at her and see Jesus. This is a prayer she came up with and prayed every day: DEAR JESUS, Help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Thy spirit and love. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of Thine. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Thy presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus. Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as to be a light to others. Amen

Why can she be called a Christian Witness?  For over 45 years, she ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying, while guiding the Missionaries of Charity's expansion, first throughout India and then in other countries.  In 2002, the Vatican recognized as a miracle the healing of a tumor in the abdomen of an Indian woman, Monica Besra, after the application of a locket containing Mother Teresa's picture. Besra said that a beam of light emanated from the picture, curing the cancerous tumor.

Quotes. “People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.” ―Mother Teresa

What did she teach us?  Mother Teresa taught us to love and help those in most need of it.  She teaches us to see good in others & have faith in the Lord.  To stand for what we believe in no matter what anyone says.  To fight for peace in the world and to know God is walking with us every step of the way. He called her and she encourages us to accept his calling as she has.  She wants us to make a change in the world.

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” “Peace begins with a smile..”

3iaQyY&feature=fvwrel 3iaQyY&feature=fvwrel V94AVaY V94AVaY